literature is asking us to pay attention

“From the simplest lyric to the most complex novel, literature is asking us to pay attention. Pay attention to the frog. Pay attention to the west wind. Pay attention to the boy on the raft, the lady on the tower, the old man on the train. In sum, pay attention to the world and all that dwells therein and thereby learn at last to pay attention to yourself and all that dwells therein.”

― Frederick Buechner

Thank you to Claudia Cummins, whose gorgeous First Sip blog is among my most-treasured daily reads, for sharing this quote with me.